Ljubljana.The volleyball players from the Bulgarian national team showed character and class to defeat the strong Ukrainian squad with a 3:1 (25:20, 18:25, 25:23, 25:17) victory in their last match of the Group 6 tournament in the second week of the Volleyball Nations League at "Arena Stožice" in Ljubljana.
Less than 24 hours after the exhausting five-set battle against Canada, and after a total of three five-set matches during the week, Gianlorenzo Blengini's team found the strength to break the Ukrainians' winning streak and finish the tournament with three victories out of four matches.
Ukraine arrived for the match in excellent form after 3:1 victories over Brazil and Canada, as well as a decisive 3:0 against world champion Italy, but this time the Bulgarian team was better in the most crucial moments.
With this success, Bulgaria now has 5 wins and 3 losses and briefly climbed to 6th place in the provisional Volleyball Nations League standings with 14 points.
Gianlorenzo Blengini made two important changes to the starting lineup, featuring Denislav Bardarov and Preslav Petkov for the first time in the tournament. Bulgaria started with Simeon Nikolov, Aleksandar Nikolov, Denislav Bardarov, Asparuh Asparuhov, Alex Grozdanov, Preslav Petkov, and libero Damyan Kolev. During the match, Martin Atanasov, Stoil Palev, Iliya Petkov, and Georgi Tatarov also entered the game.
The Bulgarians confidently started the first set. After an even beginning, a series of strong serves, excellent blocking, and varied attacks allowed the "Lions" to pull ahead at 20:17. Aleksandar Nikolov and Denislav Bardarov led the team in attack, and Simeon Nikolov finished the set with two consecutive skillful drop shots for a final score of 25:20.
In the second set, Ukraine significantly increased its serving effectiveness. Two consecutive aces by Oleh Plotnytskyi turned the score around, and after the middle of the set, the Ukrainians controlled the game's development and equalized after 25:18.
The third set was the most dramatic of the match. Bulgaria gradually imposed its tempo, with Asparuh Asparuhov, Denislav Bardarov, and Aleksandar Nikolov scoring crucial attack points. At 17:14, Simeon Nikolov recorded an impressive ace at a speed of 121 km/h, and in the end, the "Lions" kept their composure and won 25:23.
In the fourth set, fatigue was already felt by both teams, but it was then that the Bulgarians displayed their most mature volleyball. After an an even start, a series of excellent defenses, successful counter-attacks, and strong serving followed. Denislav Bardarov scored several decisive points, Aleksandar Nikolov continued to be unstoppable, and two consecutive aces by Bardarov ended the contest at 25:17.
Statistics clearly show Bulgaria's superiority in attack. The national team scored 56 points from attacks against 46 for Ukraine. Both teams finished with 8 successful blocks and 7 aces each, while the Ukrainians scored only two more points from opponent errors (24:22). Bulgaria also recorded more digs in defense – 50 against 42.
The top scorer in the match was Aleksandar Nikolov with 26 points (24 from attack, 1 block, and 1 ace). Denislav Bardarov played his strongest match in the tournament and added 16 points (13 from attack, 1 block, and 2 aces). Asparuh Asparuhov scored 14 points, including 8 from attack, 3 blocks, and 3 aces.
From the Ukrainian team, Dmytro Yanchuk finished with 20 points, and captain Oleh Plotnytskyi scored 16.
The victory brought Bulgaria 6.65 points for the world ranking. The national team remains in 8th place in the world with 274.11 points, while Ukraine lost 6.65 points and dropped to 12th position with 245.50.

The five wins and 14 points leave Bulgaria in a good position in the battle for a spot in the final tournament of the Volleyball Nations League. Although the ranking is temporary and there are still more matches from the round to come, the success against one of the direct competitors, Ukraine, could prove decisive in the fight for the Top 8.